


Do you want me to spell it out to you, Elizabeth?

by Corny_Cornflakes



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst with a Happy Ending, Beth is confused, Conversations, F/M, Feels, Fluff and Angst, I Made Myself Cry, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Late Night Conversations, Rio admits his feelings, THEY FINALLY HAVE AN ACTUAL CONVERSATION, they finally have a Conversation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-13
Updated: 2019-05-13
Packaged: 2020-03-02 19:49:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,341
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18817798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Corny_Cornflakes/pseuds/Corny_Cornflakes
Summary: "Do you want me to spell it out to you, Elizabeth?" He snaps again, this time not raising his voice, but she could feel the pain radiating from him."Yeah, maybe I do." She looks him directly in his dark eyes and feels the tears forming in hers. "I'm tired of all these double meanings and secret messages. Could you please spell out to me how you feel or what the hell you want from me?"





	Do you want me to spell it out to you, Elizabeth?

**Author's Note:**

> I actually made myself cry while writing this. Enjoy :)

Beth still can't believe that she's back in the game. The attempt to get back to her _normal_ life was difficult, but it was even harder to stay in it. How could women spend their entire day baking muffins, thinking about what plates to buy for a PTA meeting and throwing away someone's work just because there were nuts in it? It was the women who were nuts.

But there she is, with a massive pile of fake money on the kitchen counter right in front of her. She spent the past two hours trying to count it, but there seems to be no end to it. Somewhere during the process, Beth poured herself a glass of Bourbon, ending up emptying the entire bottle.

Rio didn't even show up to give her the job personally. In fact, she didn't see him once since he told her about the FBI dropping by at Boland Motors, which was by now weeks ago. Instead, he just left a small note. 

"You have 2 weeks. I'll pick up my cut later."

Are they still business partners? Is the deal still 50/50? A short note isn't enough for Beth, not after leaving the crime life. She needs to be sure they're still on the same page. 

Taking her phone and searching for Rio's number, she thinks about what she would even type. _Hi, I don't know what's our deal anymore, could you please explain it to me?_ That would sound pathetic and intrusive, especially after the last time she invited him over to her house. 

After speculating and looking at the money in front of her for a long while, Beth's fingers finally type a short message and send it to Rio, leaving her anxious about his response.

"We need to talk about the job. Tonight at the park, 10 pm." 

How would he react to that? Does he even want to see her or are they back to being just business? Maybe he left this too unspecific note so she would like to meet him again? Beth is seriously confused by his sudden impassivity and opens a new bottle of Bourbon, waiting for an answer, _any_ answer for him.

When her phone suddenly rings, she jumps up a little bit, almost spilling her drink on the money. The screen shows her that she received one new message from R. Her hands start to shake the moment she clicks on the notification, opening it and being surprised by what she reads.

"Fair enough. Just be careful going there, yeah?"

Why is he suddenly concerned about her safety and well-being? After giving it another thought, Beth comes to the conclusion that it might have to do something with the FBI watching her back, which could also threaten Rio's career. That makes more sense.

Beth finishes her glass as she puts her phone back into the pocket of her black blazer. She still has some time until their meeting, which leaves her enough time to plan their entire conversation, if it even would be a conversation. Every time they need to discuss a serious topic, both suddenly get quiet and use gestures instead of words. Although they still understand each other perfectly most of the time, she wants him to specify his expectations and assignments by telling it her right in the face. 

Once it starts to get dark outside, Beth grabs her purse and keys. She can't drive after drinking so much alcohol, which means that she will have to walk to the park. Realizing it's already cold outside, she turns around right before leaving and puts on a warm beanie over her wavy hair.

The moment she opens the door though, she notices his black Cadillac parked right in front of her house. Why would Rio pick her up, considering the fact that it was very dangerous for them to be seen together after the recent events? Slightly confused and even nervous, Beth approaches his car and opens the passenger's door, stepping in.

Not looking at her, Rio starts the engine and drives, his eyes focused on the road in front of him. She is disappointed by his coldness, but not surprised. Beth is aware that she played with his feelings, which could've hurt him, even when he wouldn't admit it.

"Why did you pick me up?", she asks after a while, her tone quiet and visibly insecure. As much as she hates small talk, she hates the awkward silence between them more. 

"Figured you drank some alcohol. You only wanna meet when you're drunk", he replies, still ignoring her presence. Rio isn't wrong, because every single time _she_ was the one who sought _his_ closure, Beth already had a drink or two. 

"I could've walked." Now she is the one trying to distance herself, although she doesn't even want to. She figured that maybe if she starts ignoring him as well, he would finally pay some attention to her. 

"Yeah, you could've. But it's pretty cold outside, isn't it?"

At this point, Beth can't understand him anymore. One moment he's reserved and dismissive, then he says something like this and indicates his interest in her well-being. If he could only tell her once how he really feels, not using coded messages or random gestures, she could finally read him. But Rio is almost like an enigma, which she wants to solve so badly for a reason she can't explain. 

"Where are we even going?", Beth asks instead to change the topic, looking out the window. It is definitely not the way to the park. 

"Nowhere. Figured we'd stay in the car driving 'round, it's harder for the FBI to notice." He makes a good point. Once they stop and have a conversation outside, there's a risk of getting caught by Turner's men. There was one thing Beth still can't understand though.

"Then why did you park outside my house? That's easy for the FBI to notice. "

For the first time, he rolls his head to the side a little and looks her up and down. She bores directly into his eyes, waiting for a thoughtful response. "I think I've already answered that question, huh?"

"Did you? You- _We_ could've got caught!"

Sighing, Rio looks back ahead again. He, an innercity gang-banger, got out-smarted by the suburban mom sitting next to him. He doesn't know why he did that in the first place either. Giving it another thought, he realizes it was an idiotic move from him. He already got in trouble before because he parked near her house. 

"We need to talk", Beth suddenly interrupts, her voice flat but confident. It's not a proposition, but a matter of fact. Both are aware of this, but neither of them wanted to admit it for a very long time. 

"Is that right?" Rio's husky voice makes her belly tighten, but she rolls her eyes to his response anyway.

"Yes. I tried to count the money you gave me for hours but it's impossible! How the hell am I supposed to wash it in two weeks?" Her tone is suddenly thick and brittle, clearly indicating her surrender and annoyance. 

"You'll figure it out."

Beth turns her head in his direction, her eyes focusing on his face without blinking. Maybe if she uses his tactics on him, she could get something more out of him than just a _"You'll figure it out"_. He's wearing a black beanie just like hers and his usual dark clothes. Although his eyes are directed on the road, Beth can't help but notice how beautiful they look in the light of the street lanterns. 

"What do you want me to say, huh? You can’t just come and go as you please. Shit like this can get dangerous!" Rio snaps after he couldn't take her disappointed look anymore, noticing his harsh tone and softening right after. "You need to make up for what you've done."

"I will, I just need more time."

He lets out a quiet huff and gives her a short peek. She can see that he's analyzing her statement. "You can get an extra week."

Three weeks? Will it be enough to wash that tremendous pile of money in her kitchen? Is it even worth negotiating with him anymore?

"Thank you.", Beth replies coldly after a while, her voice quiet and flat again. Although she still isn't fully satisfied with their deal, at least he gave her some alleviation. She figured it wouldn't make much sense to ask for even more.

The awkward silence starts to fill the space between them again. Not being able to stand it either, Rio licks his lips and thinks about what to say next, but nothing comes to his mind. 

"You got your kids back?", he finally asks when he stops at the red traffic light. Beth, who's looking out of the window and crossing her arms in front of her chest, lets out a loud sigh. 

"Yes, they're back home. I really missed them. And how was the business going, you know, after I left?"

"The _business_ was fine", Rio answeres quickly but regrets it right after, when he notices her brows furrowing and examining his statement again. The way he emphasized the word _"business"_ makes her believe that there's something under the surface. 

"Something wasn't fine?" 

His jaw tensed and a loud huff left his mouth. He said too much and she knows it. "Yeah, something wasn't. Didn't consider how I'd feel 'bout it, huh?" 

_Oh._

Although it isn't the first surprise of the evening, it's definitely the biggest. Until now, Beth thought that she was the only one who had developed feelings for the other person, even when she wouldn't admit it out loud. She didn't even consider the possibility of him being attracted to her as if there weren't prettier and younger women out there.

"I- I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

Rio grows distant and cold again, trying to put up a wall around him, which she notices in his gravelly voice. "Doesn't matter anymore."

"It does matter to me!" Beth tries to prove him so badly just how much she regrets leaving the business and _him_ right after they slept together. "I wouldn't have done that if I knew I'd hurt you or even that you cared."

"Do you want me to spell it out to you, Elizabeth?" He snaps again, this time not raising his voice, but she could feel the pain radiating from him.

"Yeah, maybe I do." She looks him directly in his dark eyes and feels the tears forming in hers. "I'm tired of all these double meanings and secret messages. Could you please spell out to me how you feel or what the hell you want from me?"

Rio is both surprised and impressed by her straight-forwardness. He knows exactly how cold and mysterious he can be at times, but it has become his coping mechanism at this point. Maybe he should try to let down that mask around her because she already knows more about him than anybody else?

"You really want this? Or is it just the Bourbon talkin'?"

Beth is tired of this sick game. She can't look at him any longer, no matter how alluring his deep, earthy brown eyes, wrapped by his long eyelashes are. "Do you have feelings for me or not?"

"Would it matter if I did?" With every next sentence, Rio's voice becomes quieter, but also deeper and rougher. All the muscles in his body are tense. 

"It would for me." Beth continues, hiding her shaking hand between her thighs. "It does."

Rio takes a moment to think before he speaks again. He is so used to examining every situation because of his job, even when it's business related. If you're not careful, you end up behind bars or dead. But this is different. This is Elizabeth.

"I care. _Deeply_."

These words echo through Beth's mind, not able to actually _get_ to her. He said it. He used words. He finally said it. She doesn't even notice how quiet she was until he lets out a soft chuckle.

"Didn't see that comin', huh?"

She finally allows herself to look at him again. "No."

"You got whachu wanted." He also finally allows his tone to become more casual and amused again. Letting it all out makes him feel free as if someone just cut off chains that were wrapped around his throat. 

"I missed you." Beth suddenly adds, still not sure what to say after his reveal. Not only her arms are shaky, but also her voice.

"Mhm." 

"And I really regret what I've done. I care about you too."

Rio slowly turns his head in her direction, scanning her face and noticing small tears forming in the corner of her ocean blue eyes again. "Is that right?"

Beth answers with a small nod, not being able to say another word because of how hard she tries not to cry. She cared about him when he gave her her first job, the keys to the kingdom, when they had sex in a bathroom and her bedroom - even when he shot her husband and threatened to kill her.

Rio suddenly grabs her left hand from between her thighs, moving it to his mouth and placing a long, gentle kiss on it. Shivers went all over Beth's body the moment their bodies met. Still not letting go of her, he squeezes her hand tighter and sets it on his knee. For some reason, it was more intimate than any encounter they had before. 

"The kids aren't home tonight."

"Nah?"

She quickly shakes her head, squeezing his knee and smiling. "They're at their grandmother's."

The moment these words leave Beth's mouth, Rio swiftly turns around his car, heading back to her house. Both know exactly what they are going to do there, not being able to hold back their lust for each other any longer.

Maybe having a normal conversation isn't as difficult as they thought after all?

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much for reading my fanfiction! I would really appreciate it if you left a comment letting me know if you liked it and if you didn't, it would be great if you let me know how I could improve my writing. Also I'm sorry if there are any spelling errors or grammatical mistakes. English isn't my mother tongue and I'm still learning. :) P.S. If you want to talk about Brio and Good Girls with me, hit me up on Tumblr! @obsessedwithadultships or @incorrectbrio


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